Spanish News Agency EFE, the largest Spanish-speaking news agency and fourth-largest news agency in the world, recently visited the Tilleke & Gibbins Museum of Counterfeit Goods. EFE interviewed Clemence Gautier, Consultant at Tilleke & Gibbins, about the history and purpose of the museum, as well as the prevalence of counterfeit goods in the market today. Clemence discussed various issues, such as the hazards of counterfeit goods, the importance of intellectual property rights, and the role played by consumer demand in encouraging the production of fakes.

CNNGo, the travel and lifestyle segment of the news website CNN, recently featured the Museum of Counterfeit Goods in its Bangkok section. James Evans, Consultant at Tilleke & Gibbins, explained the purpose of the museum and the consequences of counterfeiting during the interview. “Its purpose is to educate the public about intellectual property (IP) infringement and to create an awareness of the extent and consequences of counterfeiting,” says James.

Under increasing pressure from the WTO and many Western nations, Thailand is making a considerable effort to crack down on its expanding counterfeit goods trade. In the article “Thailand Tackles Role as Regional Hub for Counterfeit Goods,” Peter Janssen of Deutsche Presse-Agentur reports that Thai Customs officials have had training to spot counterfeit goods being imported from outside the country.  Wiramrudee Mokkhavesa, Attorney-at-Law with Tilleke & Gibbins, explained that “for the past few years, we’ve had good cooperation with the Customs Department.”

Suebsiri Taweepon, an attorney-at-law in the Tilleke & Gibbins IP group, was recently interviewed by Press TV, an English-language international news network based in Tehran, Iran. The interview focused on the counterfeit trade in Thailand and the steps that the government and private companies are taking to combat it. “As a law firm, we represent thousands of clients to register trademarks and provide brand names to Customs agents, as well as quarterly training on how to identify counterfeit products versus regular products,” Suebsiri told Chen Fye Tham, who reported on the story.